The Wafflehead
Autumn, 1996 (#2)
Trip Into The Element Of Summer
Or, "Magical Mystery Tour"
by Haydn J. Mullineux
Hitchcock speaking from Mrs. Wafflehead's eighth newsletter:
On Saturday, August 10th, I will be hiring an 1939 open-topped decker bus to drive around various backroads of the Western tip of The Isle Of Wight. This is to mark the release, three days later, of Moss Elixir, my new record. The idea is to meander around various old, leafy haunts and cliff tops, stopping every so often for me to sing. We should wind up in a high place, from where we can watch the sun set. Departure is at 5:15 and we should be back by 8:30 p.m.. Might be sooner depending on how long it takes the sun to set. Obviously, this will be at the mercy of the weather. If it is pouring with rain, the bus trip will have to be postponed (as they say in the trade). But I will in that case perform a set in the Abandoned Railway Station Canteen.
Bus Timetable by H. J. Mullineux. Saturday, 10th August, 1996.
4:30 p.m.: Robyn Hitchcock is joined by Homer's Jake Kyle (double bass) and Tim Keegan (guitar) for the final rehearsals. These take place on the platform of the abandoned railway station in Yarmouth. The familiar notes of "Oceanside" curl rhythmically around the quiet backstreets of Yarmouth. But the Lymington-->Yarmouth ferry that holds most of the fans has yet to dock, and so there's few to hear the familiar notes of "Oceanside". The quiet backstreets are, for the moment, quiet. Surprising, really, considering it's carnival week. The few that do stand waiting on the platform for departure must be the first since the railway closed 43 years ago. This is the intended meeting place for the bus trip to the "various leafy haunts" on the Western tip of The Isle Of Wight. This is where the two open-topped 1939 buses would wait. But they aren't here. It seems that they are waiting patiently back at Yarmouth docks. There has been a last-minute change of plan, and so as not to miss departure, we should make our way back there. It isn't raining, but if it were, instead of the bus trip, a set in the "Abandoned Railway Station Canteen" was promised. This morning at around seven o'clock (for it was then that I arrived on this bleak isle) -- an upheaval of the disastrous -- neither picture seemed unlikely. But good fortune has cleared the skies, and warmed up the West Wight soil. So it looks like we'll have a pleasant evening for it -- lucky really, because the summer so far has been little more than disappointing. I don't leave the station for the docks straight away because the rehearsal is rather good -- you know, great sound. But at five past five, I decide to leave, fearing that Robyn and co. will race across town in a sparkling sports car and leave for the sunshine coast in an open-topped bus without the fans. Much to my surprise this wasn't the case -- the opposite, in fact. They didn't move, and we, the audience, sped across town to the buses, encountering the recently docked fans en route. One now wishes that I had stayed on the platform watching the rehearsals until I was thrown carelessly onto the imaginary railway tracks.
5:10 p.m.: The crop of around fifty seafaring Hitchcock devotees stand patiently waiting by the side of the two rather difficult-to-miss buses.
5:15 p.m.: 5:15 is the planned bus departure time, but Hitchcock has yet to appear from the station -- no doubt he is overcome with nerves. We fear that the bus trip would lack a certain appeal without him.
5:35 p.m.: The bus conductress decides that despite the fact that the band have yet to appear, it seems pointless wasting any time when they actually are here, and so the passengers are allowed to board the buses. Of course, the top deck of bus No. 1 is reserved for the special guests (such as Andy Kershaw). So after a little commotion ("Awww...that ain't fair"), the guests take their positions and the less-important follow. Well, there's the choice of either bus. So now most swarm to the second bus to grab an open-aired seat there. I mean, what's a bus trip without seats exposed to the weather? And with a little slippin' and slidin', I manage to obtain a sunshine seat. I am then able to observe the glorious sights and sounds of West Wight from a higher (and decidedly breezier) level. I was chuffed with my dark green leather seat. "Waterproof," I mused. I decided that after several more minutes of waiting for the checkered-shirt arrival of the greatest singer-songwriter since the previous, I'd sit back and wonder what attractions the up-and-coming (and well-advertised) Garlic Festival would bring. (The Garlic Festival and the music festivals of the past -- this is the place, and these are the times.)
5:45 p.m.: Robyn Hitchcock, Michele, and the "band" arrive. Without further ado, the buses leave Yarmouth via the pleasant Thorley Road -- a road which manages to slice the British countryside into two. And while speeding down this land at farm-animal-scaring speeds, I consider many suitable spots for a little countrified singing. "The Black Crow Knows" in the cornfield, perhaps? No, too light, too much sun, for something so sinister. On reflection, though, the picturesque scene may have had its other disadvantages: the band would have trouble hearing themselves, the farmer would have been a little upset if his harvest had been ruined by a cult musician with a checkered shirt and his willing-to-travel fans -- and I suppose it was my John Barleycorn interest taking its toll.
5:50 p.m.: After numerous threats from overhanging branches, I consider myself lucky to have reached the coast road.
6:00 p.m.: The buses reach Compton Bay. It lies somewhere around the other side of the Needles Peninsula, facing west. When stood on the slowly-eroding-but-uniquely-colourful rocks, if offers a splendid panoramic picture around the bay. Perhaps it would be even more beautiful when the sun was setting -- the place where "The sun reflected from the waves/Inshore it spangles/The child of air is borne upon the wind that blows across the sea". The scene has been captured in the spacious confines of one of Robyn's truly magnificent lyrical pieces, "Airscape". Here we are. The buses park parallel in the car park, sideways onto the oceanside, unintentinally creating a sound-corridor in between. Several minutes are spent deciding on a suitable place to open the guitar case. Robyn strolls thoughtfully to a grassy area a little further along the coast, and sniffs the air (as it were). He strolls back again down. He finally sets up his stage in front of the two buses. This allows the music to flow gracefully down the corridor, so for a short time at least, it is safe from the evermore bone-jangline breezes. However, it is quite evident that he wants to perform on the beach itself -- on the black sand beside the sewage exit.
6:05 p.m.: The Compton Bay Car Park set begins. The two songs inspired by the bay; "Airscape", and "Oceanside"; sound happy to be at home -- and all the better for the trio's superb acoustic open-aired performance. I haven't heard "Alright, Yeah" before, but it sounds rather strange. The lyrics, they are so simple it's unnerving. Also, I've decided that when "One Long Pair Of Eyes" is played live acoustically and sang beautifully, it is so much better than the rather mechanical Queen Elvis original.
6:55 p.m.: The set in front of the buses ends. Robyn makes a bold move towards the sea, resulting in a set on the edge of the rocks with his back to the sands. Sadly, the band's performance of "Train Round The Bend" is swallowed whole by the winds.
7:00 p.m.: As the passengers quickly board the buses, the sky stares down menacingly and with a dark eye. The direction chosen is that of the Needles Peninsula. Those that had originally taken off their jackets and jumpers were now reaching for them in the hope of dulling that rather sharp chill. I, however, was still wearing just the same shirt that I had worn all day. I had yet to take it off, and therefore had yet to put it back on again. My relatively cool exterior reveals nothing of the arctic winds that brush icily against my internal organs. Still, I feel all-the-better now that I know we're heading for the Needles Pleasure Park, which of course is closed at this time.
7:05 p.m.: The rain is falling quite heavily now, but nobody seems to mind that much. The question on the lips of many is: where in the Pleasure Park (or the surrounding leafy areas) would it be possible to stage the second set? A dry place would be preferred, but it doesn't really matter. So, Robyn and pals go off to find a suitable spot. They return soon after with a suitable spot. The "park" isn't particularly offensive. It has been constructed with a certain degree of architectural integrity, but there is simply no need to name a (frankly uninteresting) pleasure park after three slowly drowning rocks (which are, by the way, at least a mile away). The buildings seem to have been based on the popular designs of 19th Century America -- you know, the one's with the big porches. These, however, have much brighter colours. There is a, sort of, mock street in the park with porches on either side, and we collect under the more substantially sheltered side. Hitchcock and the band take refuge under the minimal shelter of the Sandshapes Gift Shop.
7:10 p.m.: Robyn stands up on a bench and begins the "Sandshapes Gift Shop Entrance Set". Most of the audience decide to sod the shelter in order to get a good view. All right: the pleasure park ain't a pretty picture, man, but it is a good spot. The acoustics are rather good, it's away from all them pestering living organisms (at night it's dead), and there's a lot of room to make yourself comfortable. In short, it's the best time to visit the Needles ... [unreadable] ... heard the (probably rather new) "1974", a song that mentions the farewell Blues-y strum from a songwriter of Hitchcockian off-centred genius proportions: "Syd Barrett's last session/He can't sing anymore/He's gonna have to be Roger now/For the rest of his life". It's great, too (a little sad, perhaps). Robyn seems to have found his "Beautiful Queen", and she stands behind me. They are indeed "higher than the loft" -- completely removed from the "Sandshapes Gift Shop Scene". "Queen Of Eyes" closes the set in sparkling fashion, supporting the now-familiar lyric: "I wish I was short, I wish I was long/But she only wishes that we'd take her along".
7:50 p.m.: It is said as we board the bus that the trip will have to finish a little early, which is disappointing. I'm sure it's to do with this blasted weather. It seems my cries of, "Hey, my shirt can't soak up any more water," are not heard over the rain. However, as a consolation, a stop at a fish and chip shop on the way back is offered by Robyn.
7:55 p.m.: We can't even stop at a chippy, because supposedly two 1939 open-topped buses are a bit of a traffic nuisance when parked on narrow town streets.
8:05 p.m.: The buses park in exactly the same place in Yarmouth that they did only a few hours ago. There is a small shelter by the harbour that seems relatively useless for sheltering. It is there that many collect after getting off the buses, waiting for the Nine o'clock ferry back to Lymington. But wait! What's this I see? It seems that the two chaps we saw standing under the shelter looking miserable as we parked up were in fact ticketholders, and had missed the bus! As nobody seems to have anything better to do, we all eavesdrop on a conversation between Robyn and the two lads. They'd in fact travelled all the way from Brighton (yawn) only to miss the ferry because of a traffic dilemma. Anyway, they went to the abandoned railway station (which is actually better known to the locals as "Yarmouth Youth Club") and found a harmonica that Robyn had left behind.
8:10 p.m.: It was this -- the whole story and the child-in-a-toy-shop-window stares -- that convinced Hitchcock to perform a final set under the small shelter.
8:30 p.m.: The set was wonderful. A request prompted an impromptu performance of the Hitchcock masterpiece "Acid Bird". He played a couple of unheard songs. "DeChirico Street" sounded better than it ever has, and I think these are the conditions that it is suited to: wet, cold, and particularly strange. It all came to an end, as everything eventually does -- good or bad. This was good. No, this was absolutely fantastic. It may have rained in a most unlike-summer kinda way, but it was all sunshine and flowers. Robyn and friends happily make their way to a local tavern while I make my way to Freshwater to catch up on some precious sleep and to dry my shirt. I'm so tired, I start to hallucinate.
Extra Notes: From these "timetable notes" it may seem to you reading that I spent most of the time staring at my watch and scribbling notes. I didn't. The times, setlist, weather reports, and general information is from memory. I have quite a good memory. Remember that it's all just notes.
Compton Bay Car Park:
Antwoman; Bass; One Long Pair Of Eyes; Airscape; Alright, Yeah; Oceanside; It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry
Overlooking Compton Bay:
Train Round The Bend
Entrance to Sandshapes Gift Shop:
If You Were A Priest; Blue Moon Of Kentucky; Mystery Train; 1974; Beautiful Queen; Queen Of Eyes
Yarmouth Port Shelter:
Heliotrope; DeChirico Street; Acid Bird; Let's Go Thundering
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